Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said: "Ranked the best healthcare system of 11 wealthy countries, the NHS has again showed why it is the single thing that makes us most proud to be British."

In 2014, 9.9 per cent of national income went on health, compared to 16.6 per cent in the U.S.

The report - Mirror, Mirror 2017 - states: “The UK stands out as a top performer in most categories except for health care outcomes, where it ranks with the U.S. near the bottom.”

But it said Britain did better at reducing early deaths than any other nation in the past decade.

The findings come despite the biggest funding squeeze in health service’s history.

It has led to hospitals missing a series of key targets such as A&E, ambulance, cancer waits.

An NHS England spokesman said: “This international research is a welcome reminder of the fundamental strengths of the NHS, and a call-to-arms in support of the NHS Forward View’s practical plan to improve cancer, mental health and other outcomes of care.”